In the late 1990s, I applied to do a law PHD at Malaya U on a part time basis. Two things surprised me. Firstly, there were only 2 PHD students. Me and another student, who happened to be a law lecturer at MU. She went on to head the law department after obtaining her PHD at MU. Secondly, during my interview and subsequent time at MU, everybody, from the Deputy Dean of the Law Department who interviewed me, the librarian, my PHD supervisor and a few others, asked me why I didn't do my PHD at an overseas university. They said that overseas universities had better lecturers, research facilities and prestige, compared to MU. That was what they told me. 

In other words, they were running down MU even though they were worked there.  Shows you the confidence that they had in MU.  They were so surprised that I wanted to take my PHD at MU. I told them that I had a legal practice to take care and I couldn't spend 3 years overseas to do a PHD which I only wanted to do for interest.